Mark Schwarzer has revealed for the first time how his "head was all over the place" and "it was a huge letdown" when a dream move to Arsenal collapsed last summer.

The 38-year-old Fulham goalkeeper was desperate for one last chance to play Champions League football and, had a £3million deal gone through, the Australian could have been appearing for Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday.

In the event, the move failed on the penultimate day of the transfer window because Shay Given, signed from Newcastle by Fulham boss Mark Hughes when he was in charge at Manchester City, rejected a loan move to Craven Cottage that would have released Schwarzer to join the Gunners.

Schwarzer said: "Mark Hughes and the staff made it absolutely clear that they wanted to keep me and would only let me leave if they found a keeper of equal standing at the very least.

"They only had one option [Given]. Unfortunately, the day before the window closed, he made himself unavailable.

"It was a huge letdown, I won't deny it, and it took me quite a while to get over things and get my head around it, get everything right, because my head was all over the pace."

Quoted in today's Australian Daily Telegraph, Schwarzer added: "It was very difficult to take and people deal with it in different ways. But you try and hold it all together because you want your family to think you're on top of things. It was a very tough period for me."

Tough luck for Schwarzer was good news for Wojciech Szczesny. The 20-year-old Pole would probably not have signed a new contract with Arsenal in November had his vastly more experienced rival arrived at Emirates Stadium, and thus might not have gone on to establish himself as Arsene Wenger's first choice.

Hughes's Fulham were humbled 4-1 against Manchester City at Craven Cottage in November but the Welshman returns to Eastlands on Sunday with his new side boosted by the return from serious injury of England striker Bobby Zamora.